Teruyuki Okazaki facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Teruyuki Okazaki |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born | June 22, 1931 Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan |
| Died | April 21, 2020 (aged 88) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Residence | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Style | Shotokan |
| Teacher(s) | Gichin Funakoshi, Masatoshi Nakayama |
| Rank | 10th dan karate |
| Notable students | Hiroyoshi Okazaki 9th Dan Frank Woon-a-tai, Leslie B Safar |
Teruyuki Okazaki (born June 22, 1931 – died April 21, 2020) was a very important teacher in Shotokan Karate. He held a tenth-degree black belt, which is one of the highest ranks you can achieve. He was also the person who started the International Shotokan Karate Federation (ISKF) and was its main instructor for many years.
Okazaki Sensei, along with other famous karate masters like Gichin Funakoshi and Masatoshi Nakayama, helped create a special training program for instructors at the Japan Karate Association. This program helped teach many of the best karate leaders in the world.
Contents
History of Teruyuki Okazaki
Early Life and Karate Training
Teruyuki Okazaki was born in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. When he was young, he learned different martial arts like judo, kendo, and aikido. These are all traditional Japanese ways of fighting and self-defense.
In 1948, when he was 16 years old, he went to Takushoku University. This is where he started learning karate. He trained mostly under two legendary masters: Gichin Funakoshi, who is known as the "father of modern karate," and Masatoshi Nakayama.
After graduating in 1953, Okazaki Sensei became the coach for the Takushoku University karate team. Later that year, he was chosen to be a "test case" for a new program. This program was designed to train future instructors for the JKA.
By 1955, he was in charge of this important instructor training program. Many famous Shotokan karate leaders, like Takayuki Mikami, Eiji Takaura, and Hirokazu Kanazawa, were among the first students to graduate from this program.
Bringing Shotokan Karate to North America
In 1961, Masatoshi Nakayama wanted to share Shotokan karate with more people around the world. So, Okazaki Sensei traveled to the United States. He originally planned to stay for only six months.
However, he ended up opening his own dojo (a place where martial arts are taught) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He decided to live there permanently and continued to teach karate. In 1977, he started his own organization, the International Shotokan Karate Federation (ISKF).
ISKF Becomes Independent
In April 2007, Okazaki Sensei, as the chief instructor of the ISKF, suggested that the ISKF should become separate from the JKA. He believed that the ISKF should follow the original teachings of Master Gichin Funakoshi more closely.
Many other countries, about 25 of them, supported this idea. They decided to continue their relationship with the ISKF and no longer with the JKA.
At a karate championship in Canada in October 2007, the ISKF announced that Okazaki Sensei had been promoted to 10th dan. This is the highest rank in karate. At that time, only a few other karate masters in the world held this rank.
After Okazaki Sensei retired in 2015, Yutaka Yaguchi became the Chief Instructor of the ISKF. Okazaki Sensei's nephew, Hiroyoshi Okazaki, became the Chairman. Today, Hiroyoshi Okazaki Shihan is both the Chairman and Chief Instructor of the ISKF.
Teaching and Professional Life
Okazaki Sensei spent most of his adult life teaching and promoting Shotokan karate across North America. He also taught at several universities in Philadelphia. From 1970, he was a faculty member at Temple University. He also taught at the University of Pennsylvania, Drexel University, West Chester University, and Thomas Jefferson University.
Later Years and Passing
Teruyuki Okazaki passed away on April 21, 2020. He died from health problems related to COVID-19 during the COVID-19 pandemic in Philadelphia.
Published Works
Okazaki Sensei also wrote books to share his knowledge of karate:
- Teruyuki Okazaki and Milorad V. Stricevic. (April 1984). "The Textbook of Modern Karate", Kodansha Amer Inc. ISBN: 0-87011-461-1, ISBN: 978-0-87011-461-8
- Teruyuki Okazaki. (2006). "Perfection of Character: Guiding Principles For The Martial Arts & Everyday Life", GMW Publishing, ISBN: 0-9785763-2-2, ISBN: 978-0-9785763-2-5 [1]
See also
In Spanish: Teruyuki Okazaki para niños
